Brazilian police have arrested a man and two women on suspicion of having murdered and eaten at least two women in what was described as a purification ritual.

The three defendants formed a sect called Cartel that wanted to purify the world and reduce the population, police spokesman Democrito Honorato, from the north-eastern Brazilian town of Guaranhuns, said.

The three defendants, Jorge and Elizabeth Pires da Silveira, both 51, and Bruna da Silva, 25, intended to kill three women per year, police said.